Kayaking

There are four main types of kayaking. They are;
Racing kayaks: These kayaks are light, stable and fast! They are specifically built to be as

streamline as possible and be stable enough for rough seas when racing. There are two main types of kayak racing. There is white water racing where the hull is short and easy to manoeuvre. In these races people kayak down white water rapids and strong currents often dodging rocks and logs to get to the finish line. The races are quite dangerous. There is also sprint racing over distances of 200, 500 and 1000metres. There are three classes; K1 – one paddler, K2 – 2 paddlers and K4 – 4 paddlers. The maximum length of these kayaks is 5.2 metres and they are made of Kevlar, carbon fibre or fibreglass. These kayaks are raced in the Olympics.

Sea kayaks:
Sea kayaks are long slimline cruising kayaks. They may not have the manoeuvrability of a white water kayak but they have a higher cruising speed, greater cargo capacity, straight-line paddling ease

and greater comfort for long journeys. Sea kayaks can have one, two or three paddlers. Sea kayaks are used for journeys from a few hours to a few weeks and are able to carry tents, food and water as well as anything else that is needed for the journey. Single kayaks may be as long as 5 metres and for kayaks carrying more than one paddler can be as long as 8 metres. The longest solo journey in a kayak was done by Helen Skelton 2010 when she paddled 2,000 miles down the amazon river.

Recreational kayaks: There are two main types of recreational kayaks;
Sit in: These kayaks are more stable than the sit on tops as the paddler is sitting below or level with

the water line which lowers the centre of gravity making the kayak less likely to easily tip over. These kayaks have a flat bottom which makes the kayak more stable but with the flat bottom the kayak won’t glide in a straight line so easily.
Sit on top: This sit on top or SOT is a good example of most sit on tops because with most sit on

tops you have to buy an seat if it doesn’t already come with one and also most sit on tops are generally wider (as you can see in the picture) than sit in kayaks. This is to make up for the loss of stability from the centre of gravity being higher, because of the seat position being higher than the water level. Sit on tops have an advantage over sit ins when the kayak capsizes because all you have to do is flip the kayak over and get back in whereas with sit in kayaks you have to empty the kayak of the water inside. The downside is that it is difficult to perform an eskimo roll in SOT. Another feature of SOT kayaks is leg straps which help with balance and manoeuvrability they also keep you in when the kayak capsizes or gets close to capsizing.

Fishing kayak: Fishing kayaks are normally sit on tops so that it is easier to move around on the

boat to get to storage areas. The SOT kayaks also offer more room for storage areas between the legs or in front of the legs. It also makes better for fishing because sitting on top means that if a fish or shark pulls really hard your kayak isn’t going to be capsized sending your gear everywhere if you’re are pulled off or over your kayak. Fishing kayaks come with plenty of room for tackle boxes, caught fish, fishing rod holders, nets, and some also come with fish finders or outriggers which help keep the kayak the right way up.

This video shows you what to do if your kayak capsizes. The move is called an eskimo roll:

This video shows you what tricks can be done in a white water kayak:

Bibliography:

http://www.tamar.canoe.org.au/?Page=20380

http://www.seakayaking.com.au

http://www.capacitysports.com.au/sit-in-kayaks/sea-kayaks/wanderer-excel-touring-sea-kayak.html

http://www.kayakracing.com.au/extremephotos.php

Craig Harrison - kayaking

Bibliography: